Author: Rhys Gregory

A landmark agreement between Cardiff and Vale UHB and Spire Healthcare is enabling patients with cancer and other urgent conditions to receive treatment at Spire’s Cardiff hospital, allowing the Health Board’s main sites such as the University Hospital of Wales and University Hospital Llandough to focus on caring for people with COVID-19.  The agreement began at the start of the pandemic, and Spire Cardiff has just passed the milestone of treating its 1,000th NHS patient. The majority of the Health Board’s patients at Spire Cardiff are being treated for cancer or for time critical / urgent health conditions. People with…

Film Hub Wales (FHW) has awarded National Lottery funding totalling £100,000 to 16 Welsh independent cinemas and film festivals that have been severely impacted by Covid-19.  More than £1.45m of funding has been made available to support the sector across the UK, made up of £1.3m National Lottery funding, plus a £150,000 contribution from the Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk Business Support Fund. With months of potential closure and uncertainty ahead as a result of the pandemic, these funds will help cinemas in urgent financial need. To maintain vital income in the short term and keep in contact with…

UWTSD has secured funding through the Creative Europe programme of the European Union for a major three-year collaborative project focusing on Craft. The project was conceived and developed by Dr Shelley Doolan, Senior Research Fellow at UWTSD in collaboration with European project partners. Craft Hub brings together nine partner organisations from eight European countries with shared passion for Craft and cultural heritage. It is an ambitious collaboration that includes maker exchange residencies; community out-reach training and education workshops; touring exhibitions; conferences; a festival of Craft; a material library and a multi-media digital repository resource. Dr Doolan said: “This is a…

StepChange, a debt charity has warned about a ‘personal debt tsunami’ worth £6billion due to the pandemic which has affected 4.6million homes. With 1.2million people estimated to have fallen behind on utility, Linda Dodge, energy expert from energy comparison site SaveOnEnergy, has provided key advice to homeowners on what to do if you’re in debt to your energy supplier. Should I be worried about getting into debt with my energy supplier? Getting into debt to your energy supplier can be a frightening prospect, but you’re not alone. As energy prices rise, millions of people find it increasingly difficult to keep up…

Sports betting has been a part of live sports viewing tradition for many years. It reached new heights of popularity since it crossed over to the internet, with many bookers and websites managing and procuring sportsbooks that consist of sporting events worldwide. The purpose of placing wagers in sports is to have a more exciting experience and to earn money while watching your favorite athletic competition. Hence, analysis and some thinking are required to win a bet. Particularly now with how sports betting has evolved, with the many different odds and events that you can place wagers on, it’ll take…

easyJet has today relaunched flights from 22 airports across Europe for the first time since operations ceased at the end of March as a result of the pandemic. The first flight from the UK took off from London Gatwick at 7am this morning for Glasgow – the same destination the airline first flew to when easyJet first launched operations in November 1995. During the lockdown period the fleet of aircraft has been maintained in a flight ready condition to enable the airline to resume flights at the right time.  This means that easyJet also will relaunch 310 flights this week…

Barod, a Welsh substance misuse charity, has launched a unique webchat facility to help people who are at risk of turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with the mental health effects of lockdown. The service has also experienced significant demand from concerned others – people who were not aware of their loved one’s drug or alcohol problems until lockdown saw them spending more time together. The new service – the first of its kind for substance misuse in Wales – is operated by Barod’s trained case workers who can provide support, including brief interventions, to address problem behaviour before…

The Covid 19 Pandemic has created challenges for the global economy. Essential measures to curb the spread of coronavirus saw a lockdown introduced across the UK on 23 March. Welsh businesses have needed to explore new ways to continue trading. Recent FSB Wales figures show that while half of small businesses closed when lockdown was announced, the rest continued to work. Many have worked remotely, with other businesses making physical changes to stores and offices or introducing new take-away and delivery services. In Wales, companies have been supported by the Development Bank of Wales and Welsh Government though existing grant…

Two convicted drug dealers from Merthyr Tydfil have been ordered to pay back more than £25,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. They were jailed for seven years after police struck lucky and found approximately £10,000 worth of crack cocaine in a Dowlais property which they were searching in connection with a shoplifting offence back in May, 2018. Jordan Donahue, 28, from Penydarren was ordered to pay back £21, 111.80, and Samuel Thomas, 32, from Galon Uchaf, was ordered to pay back £3,970 at a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court today (12 June, 2020). Under the Proceeds…

Swansea University’s free English language lessons for beginners are still going strong despite lockdown. So far, a mix of adults from more than 70 countries have taken advantage of the lessons which are now being offered online by the University’s English Language Training Services (ELTS). The move follows the ELTS team successfully switching its formally taught courses online. English for University Studies tutor Jade Fouracre-Reynolds said: “Working in conjunction with other providers and agencies in Swansea and across South Wales, these classes contribute to providing consistent access to language learning, social interaction and building strong community ties for individuals who…